Latch-operating device for steam shovels or dredges



(No Model.)

J. O.'HOUOK. LATCH OPERATING DEVICE FOR STEAM SHOVBLS 0R DREDGES.

Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

Jbeiah CHoua/c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH O. I-lOUOK, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

LATCH-OPERATING DEVICE FOR STEAM SHOVELS OR DREDGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,808, dated January 5, 1897.

Application filed March 1 6, 1 8 9 6.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSIAH 0. 110mm, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latch-Operatin g Devices for Steam Shovels or Dredges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of steam shovels and dredging and excavating machines which employ a boom rigged and supported upon a turntable, a bucket-arm supported to oscillate and to move endwise upon the boom and also to be swung therewith, and suitable chains and pulleys for operating the bucket upon the end of said arm to raise and lower it, and also a chain or chains for drawing the latch and allowing the bottom of the bucket to open and deposit its contents.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic latch-operating device for the buckets of said machines which may be so adjusted that it will act when the bucket is in a predetermined position to deposit its contents by the action of the power which operates the bucket; and the improvement consists, primarily, in a latch-chain attached to the bottom-retaining or latch bolt of the bucket and connected in anovel manner with the backing-chain which operates the bucketarm; and the improvement also consists in certain novel devices for connecting the said chains, as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a steam-shovel or excavating-machine as need be to illustrate my invention, the shovel being shown partly raised and the backing-chain and latchoperating chains slack and inoperative; Fig. 2, a similar view of the front part of a car carrying a boom and its rigging with the bucket-arm thereof supported thereon and the bucket raised very nearly to its full height and with the backing and latch-operating chains taut and ready to draw the latch-bolt by a slightly greater elevation of the bucket; Fig. 3, an enlarged central longitudinal section of the bucket in an upright position with the bottom closed; and Fig. 4 is a plan and a sectional elevation, upon an enlarged scale, of a chain-connecting clip, as will here inafter appear.

Serial N'ox 583,405. (No model.)

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents my improvements applied to the end of a car A, carrying a turn-table B and a derrick-frame O, properly supported thereon. The boom D is pivotally supported at the foot in a shoe E, secured to the turn-table B, and is held by a cable F at its upper end, which passes over a pulley or roller 0, supported at the apex of the frame 0, and is ad justable by a winch or in any well-known or preferred manner to vary the angle of the boom, which is adapted to swing in a wellknown manner when thus supported upon the turn-table. A bucket-arm G, having a rackbar g secured to its under side, is supported in a well-known manner in the middle part of the boom and engages with a gear-pinion g, the shaft 9 of which carries a band-Wheel G and a pawl and ratchet-wheel (not shown) which serve to adjust the arm upon its center of oscillation in a well-known manner to adjust the path of movement of the bucket. The bucket H is secured to the outer end of the arm and properly braced by rods h, connecting it therewith to provide a rigid connection therewith. The bottom 11 of the bucket II is hinged at h to a bracket-strap secured to the cylindrical shell 71/2 of the bucket and is secured thereto at its swinging end by a latch-bolt I, fitted to slide endwise in eyebolts 2' in the bottom of the bucket, around and between which is secured a spiral spring t, which presses against a stud projecting from the latch-bolt and tends to press the end of said bolt out from beyond the bottom of the bucket to engage with a stapleplate I, securely riveted and projecting downwardly from the bucket. The top rim h of the bucket H. carries studs 77.4 and a bail 77. connected by chain and pulley-blocks K with the motor for operating the machine to raise and lower the outer end of the arm G and bucket H, and abacking-chain L, also worked by the operating-motor, is connected with the bucket end of the arm G for operating it, all of the above specially-described parts indicated by letters of reference being of well known construction, but particularly described herein, as they cooperate with my im- 7 proved devices in the most 'efiective manner to provide an automatically-operatlve machine.

Instead of connecting the latch-bolt I by a free line or chain to be operated optionally or by independent means, as done heretofore, I connect the said latch-bolt I with the backing-chain L by a short and small latch-chain M at such distance from the bolt that when the bucket has been lifted very nearly to its full height, as shown in Fig. 2, the chains L and M will come nearly in line one with the other and more nearly in line with the bucketarm, the angular distance between the chain L and the arm G becoming constantly greater until when the right point and dumping position has been reached by the bucket the latch-chain M will be drawn taut, and the bolt I will be withdrawn from the staple-plate I by the extreme movement of the bucket and bucket-arm, and the contents of the bucket will be automatically dumped. The clumpingpoint is determined by the length of the latchchain M and by the point of attachment thereof to the chain L, and I have therefore provided special novel means for the connection and adjustment of said chains one upon the other. The sides of the links of the chains are too closely set together to allow an ordinary and direct hook connection, and I have therefore provided a clip N, comprising a U- shaped staple n and two cleat-blocks 01M, fitted upon opposite sides of one of the links and between the two adjacent links of the chain L, as shown in Fig. I upon an enlarged scale, the ends of the staple at having a shoulder and being threaded to pass through holes in the ends of the cleatblocks n n and be secured thereto by nuts n in such manner that the staple n will project from the backingchain to provide an open link or loop to which the smaller latch-chain M may be secured either by a hook or otherwise. IVhen the links bucket may be lifted a greater height, and the dumping-point and angular relation of the chain with the bucket-arm being also changed the latch chain will require readjustment upon the hacking-chain.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A latch-operating device for dredging and excavating machines comprising the boomframe, or derrick, an oscillating bucket-arm, a bucket secured thereto having a hinged bottom and latch connections, a backingchain and a latch-chain connecting said backing-chain to the latch-bolt, substantiallyas described.

2. In a dredging and excavating machine, the combination of the oscillating bucketarm, he bucket secured thereto provided with a hinged bottom and latch, a chain connecting the bucket-arm with a fixed part of the machine and a latch-chain connecting the backing-chain with the latch, substantially as described.

3. In a dredging and excavating machine, the combination with the boom or derrick frame,the endWise-movin g oscillating bucketarm, the hinged bucket and latch, the backing-chain and a latch-chain and coupling for adjustably connecting said chains, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the backing-chain, of a dredging-machine or a similar chain, of an adjustable clip comprising a staple having threaded ends and nuts thereon and cleats through which the ends of said staple pass to embrace the links of the chain and provide an outstanding loop to receive the hook of a connectin g-chain, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in the of the chain are large enough, a simple hook presence of two subscribing witnesses.

may be used to connect the latch-chain with j the backing-chain.

When the bucket is moved outwardly to extend the radius of the supporting-arm, the

JOSIAH C. IIOUOK.

\Y itnesses:

B. KRUEPER, 'l. .T. KLossowsKI. 

